FOR THOUSANDS of years, women colored their cheeks and lips with rogues made from crushed flower petals, berries, beets and bugs. Geishas reddened their lips and the corners of their eyes. At one time, applying rouge to ear lobes was fashionable. During the Victorian era, when makeup was associated with immorality, a quick pinch of the cheek and a few nibbles on the lips brought blood to the surface and flooded the face with a flush. Fads have come and gone, but the desire for a healthy, ruddy complexion persists.

A new class of lip and cheek stains offers a previously unheard of choice of colors and formulations that are easier to apply, blend and coordinate. The new stains last longer and offer better coverage and skin-tone matching than stains of the past. They make great lightweight and long-lasting alternatives to lipstick and blush, especially during makeup-melting humid summer weather.